The world of music is full of wonders. Learning piano is a fantastic way to dip into the sea of music as well as to improve memory, concentration, and hand-eye coordination. As a parent, you might wonder what the best age for your child to begin piano lesson in Toronto. All children develop at different rates and therefore there is no universal age that works for everyone. Here at Greater Toronto Music School, we begin teaching students as young as 4 years old with much success.
There are signs that you can watch for that indicate that your child may be ready for piano lessons, no matter his or her age. Before starting with a piano teacher in Toronto, consider the following:
Ability To Differentiate Left From Right
Playing piano involves the use of both the left and right hands. Although it does not require an advanced sense of direction, use of both hands maintaining regular intervals is required. If your child already knows their right from left then this is a good indication that they may be ready to start piano lessons. You can try helping them making this association by asking questions like “Which hand do you write with?”, or by letting them know that the thumb and index of left left hand will create an uppercase letter “L”, for ‘left’ when held in front of them. If your child grasps these concepts then they may be ready to begin piano lessons in Toronto or online.
Able To Move Individual Fingers
Playing piano, even in the initial stages, requires some finger dexterity. If your child can move or wiggle individual fingers easily, this is an indication that he or she may be ready for piano lessons in Toronto or Mississauga. If not, don’t worry! There are many activities that will be super helpful for improving finger dexterity and fun for your child. The main group of fingers to focus on in the beginning are called the tripod fingers and are made up of the thumb, index and middle finger. Give your child some play dough and have them use the tripod fingers to roll the play dough into both ball and cylinder shapes. You’ll be amazed by how such a simple task can improve finger dexterity so much. Once your child has achieved some basic control of their fingers, their fine motor skills will drastically improve through learning and practicing the piano.
Able To Focus for 30 Minutes
Most piano lessons last a minimum of 30 minutes and therefore, your child should be able to focus and give their full attention to the instructor for a minimum of 30 minutes before enrolling in piano lessons. The key to mastering the piano, or any other instrument, is practice. Make sure that your child is able to sit at the piano for a minimum of 15 minutes at a time to practice the material that they learned during their lesson. Daily practice is ideal but not always possible for those with a busy schedule. If you decide to start your child in online piano lessons or piano lessons in Toronto, encourage them to practice consistently, for a minimum of 15 minutes at a time. Older children should strive for a minimum of 30 minutes per practice session.
Able To Count To 5
To help piano students use the correct fingers consistently, each finger is assigned a number from one to five. To help prepare your child for his or her online piano lessons or piano lessons in Toronto, teach them to label their thumb as ‘finger 1’, index as ‘finger 2’, middle finger as ‘finger 3’, ring finger as ‘finger 4’ and pinky finger as ‘finger 5’. Learning these finger numbers will make learning piano easier for them and save valuable lesson time. If your child is having difficulty grasping these concepts, consider playing the basic counting game “Five Little Ducks”, which will also incorporate singing and help develop you child’s musicality! If you and your child are not familiar with this classic nursery rhyme, you can find the song and lyrics here. If you are not familiar, you can hear the song and see the lyrics here. Once you both know the song, fill up a plastic tub with five little rubber duckies. After each verse, take away one duck and ask your child how many are remaining and then continue singing until all the ducks have been removed.
Interested To Take Piano Lessons In Toronto And Motivated To Learn About Music
Does your child constantly sing, hum, or tap on surfaces. Does he/she love music and have many favourite songs? These are strong indications that your child is ready for piano lessons. Children who are intrinsically motivated to learn will progress at a much faster rate than those who are disinterested. If you have a piano at home, you can assess your child’s interest level by allowing them to explore the instrument. If you want some more guidance, we have some great beginner piano lessons on our YouTube channel that you can try out. If you find these lessons helpful, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss any new content. Greater Toronto Music School also offers online piano lessons, so you can get started before taking your child to classes in-person.
How to Help Children before Beginning Lessons? If you’ve determined that you’re ready to begin, here are a few things to do in preparation:
Introduce your child to the piano keyboard. Explain to them that there are black and white keys. See if they can recognize the pattern of groups of two and three black keys.
Introduce them to the concept of high and low pitches. You can use your voice to demonstrate and ask them to repeat after you.
Introduce them to the concept of playing quietly and playing loud.
Consider your child’s attention span, finger dexterity and their interest and desire to learn about music and the piano. If they can perform basic finger exercises, focus for about 30 minutes and are interested in music then they will be ready to start playing the piano! If not, consider the exercises that were mentioned in this article and your child will be ready in no time! We hope that this article has been helpful for you to determine whether or not your child is ready to begin piano lessons in Toronto or Mississauga or online piano lessons. If you’re ready to get started, click here to enroll with Greater Toronto Music School.